British Colonial Furniture
Typically made of mahogany, teak or bamboo and featuring a range of fabrics and prints with botanical patterns, antique British Colonial furniture and decor varies as it involved local materials and techniques and spanned centuries of design styles.
As the British Empire expanded from the 16th to the 20th century, its conquest and control of colonies around the world bolstered its wealth through the extraction of resources. Including colonies in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australasia, this spread of often violent subjugation imposed British culture, language and faith on Indigenous peoples. The design of homes was included in this expression of imperial power, with government officials, merchants and military officers creating homes mimicking the luxuries they were used to in England.
Local artisans were commissioned to replicate British designs, resulting in versions of Regency, Chippendale, Sheraton and other styles of furniture being crafted from mahogany, rosewood, ebony and teakwood as opposed to beech and oak, which were more common in Europe. Whereas the colonial furniture for the Portuguese and Dutch regularly had motifs of indigenous flora and fauna, the British tended to want more exact reproductions of their home country’s designs.
To escape the summer heat in places such as India and the Caribbean, British colonizers relocated to airy houses in the hills or plantations, leading to foldable chairs and collapsible desks in the style of military campaign furniture. Rather than upholstery as they might have in Europe, chairs and sofas in the British Colonial style had rattan and cane seating for these higher temperature climates. The contrast between the light textiles and the dark colors of the sturdy furniture became a defining aesthetic of British Colonial interiors.
Find a collection of antique British Colonial outdoor furniture, seating, bedroom furniture, decorative objects and other items on 1stDibs.
Mid-20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
Brass
18th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Teak
20th Century Vietnamese British Colonial Furniture
Mother-of-Pearl, Rosewood
20th Century Burmese British Colonial Furniture
Glass, Teak
20th Century British Colonial Furniture
Wool, Silk
Late 20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
Composition
Late 18th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Mahogany, Rosewood
19th Century British Antique British Colonial Furniture
Mid-20th Century British Colonial Furniture
Upholstery, Cane, Wood
20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
Leather, Glass, Wood
20th Century Vietnamese British Colonial Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
Sterling Silver
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Furniture
Faux Bamboo
Mid-19th Century Chinese Antique British Colonial Furniture
Stone
19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Wood, Cane
Early 20th Century Swedish British Colonial Furniture
Leather, Paper
Mid-20th Century Burmese British Colonial Furniture
Teak
19th Century Antique British Colonial Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique British Colonial Furniture
Brass
19th Century British Antique British Colonial Furniture
Copper, Wrought Iron
1970s Philippine Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Fabric, Bamboo, Cane, Reed
20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
Faux Bamboo
Mid-20th Century Unknown British Colonial Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century Indian British Colonial Furniture
Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Kenyan British Colonial Furniture
Wool
Early 20th Century Persian British Colonial Furniture
Wool
1950s American Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Wood, Paint, Canvas
19th Century British Antique British Colonial Furniture
Hardwood
2010s American British Colonial Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
Late 19th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Furniture
Ebony, Wood
20th Century English British Colonial Furniture
Wood, Paper, Glass
Mid-20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
Cane, Wood
Early 20th Century Algerian British Colonial Furniture
Wood, Paper
1950s Unknown Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Brass
Early 1900s German Antique British Colonial Furniture
Mahogany
Late 18th Century Chinese Antique British Colonial Furniture
Porcelain
1940s English Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Silver Plate, Nickel
Late 19th Century Indonesian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Glass, Wood
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Furniture
Grasscloth, Bamboo
Early 20th Century English British Colonial Furniture
Oak
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Furniture
Rattan
1960s British Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Rush, Oak
Early 20th Century Unknown British Colonial Furniture
Teak
1910s Unknown Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Jamaican Antique British Colonial Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Furniture
Wicker, Rattan
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Furniture
Faux Bamboo
Mid-19th Century British Indian Ocean Territory Antique British Colonial Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian British Colonial Furniture
Mercury Glass
Mid-20th Century Southeast Asian British Colonial Furniture
Bamboo, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
Brass
1920s Persian Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Wool
Mid-20th Century Unknown British Colonial Furniture
Ebony, Mahogany, Satinwood
19th Century British Indian Ocean Territory Antique British Colonial Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century Persian British Colonial Furniture
Wool
19th Century Bajan Antique British Colonial Furniture
Mahogany
1960s American Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Mahogany
1950s Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Bamboo